Truly, Madly, Deeply
by Sunsetseve
Summary: Shounenai : Five years have passed since the defeat of Xemnas. Sora, Riku and Kairi have lived peacefully upon Destiny Islands. What happens when Roxas appears in Sora's dreams saying he can no longer hear Namine's voice? Rating for future chaps. ON HOLD
1. Prologue

First of all, this story is for my friend El Takeshiro ('Take' for short. Cause I know you love your yaoi!) And for myself, 'cause I haven't written a fanfic in ages. The basis/plot of this story was partially inspired by the song 'Truly, Madly, Deeply' by Savage Garden. It was also covered by Cascada.

This does contain one shounen-ai pairing. So those of you who cannot handle one pairing of shounen-ai, then don't read this just to randomly flame me. Criticism is something I will accept though. Please review this by the story itself and not the pairings… It was horrible when I'd see my fellow fanfic writers suffer from the random pairing flaming. Anyway, enough of my ramblings. I'll type more at the end… ON WITH THE STORY!

---

Truly Madly Deeply: Prologue

"_Now I will step forward to realize this wish."_

"_And who knows?"_

"_Starting a new journey may not be so hard."_

"_Or maybe it's just begun."_

"_There are many worlds, but they share the same sky."_

"_One sky, one destiny."_

_Kairi_

---

The sun shone brightly against the clear blue sky of Destiny Islands. Sora, Riku and I lay on the beach, hand in hand, the same way we did six years ago. It had been peaceful for awhile. Sora and I had become a couple ever since the final battle with Xemnas ended. His friendship with Riku had also become stronger than ever.

We reminisced the last five years. The people we met, the friends we made, the enemies Sora and Riku defeated and the ones we had lost. Riku no longer held any ties to the darkness. Lately, Roxas had been visiting Sora in his dreams. Apparently, Roxas could no longer hear Namine's voice.

This surprised and struck a piercing fear into me. Namine had been speaking to me in my dreams as well. She told me of a secret deep within Sora that prevented Roxas from hearing her. In order to help Namine and Roxas, I spent many weeks watching over Sora. I thought that maybe, just maybe, I could discover what it was.

Soon within my weeks of watching, my observations brought me to a conclusion. One that would forever change my relationship with Sora. I wanted to push the thoughts and ideas of it to the back of my head. To say that it couldn't be true. But I needed to make sure.

Riku stood up, releasing his hand from Sora's. Sora immediately stood up, releasing his hand from mine. I lifted myself off the ground with my elbows. The grains of sand pushed into my skin, causing indents.

"Riku," Sora's voice seemed to have a hint of pleading and disappointment as he said Riku's name.

Riku turned to face him, "What is it Sora?"

"Where are you going?" Riku ran his fingers through his long, silver strands of hair, "I was thinking about going to the restaurant that just opened in town." Riku pointed behind himself to the main island.

"You wanna come Sora?" Sora immediately jumped to his feet as though commanded, "Do I!"

He gave Riku a smile. It was the warm smile that once belonged to me. The smile he'd only show to me alone. Now, it seemed that it belonged to someone else.

For a moment, I watched as the two of them walked away. Sora's expression was of pure bliss as he walked next to Riku. Sadly, I closed my eyes and forced a smile. Everything would soon become clear.

I soon heard the sound of Riku's voice, "Hey Kairi!"

I snapped out of my thoughts, "You wanna come with?"

I shook my head weakly, "Maybe next time Riku. I promised Selphie that I was gonna have lunch with her. Thanks though!"

"If you say so…"

Sora turned to me, and a look of realization came upon him. He quickly ran to where I was and knelt down on one knee. He lifted my chin with the side of his finger. As soon I saw those beautiful cerulean eyes, I immediately felt Sora's lips against mine. My eyes widened, then half-closed.

Sora's eyes were completely covered. My gaze started to wander toward Riku. He was smiling. Sora broke away and gave me that cheesy grin of his.

"I love you Kairi!" I forced a smile, knowing what he said probably wasn't true.

"I… I love you too Sora…" He ran to Riku and they made they made their way to the main island. When they were farther away, I rose to my feet and whispered to myself, hoping Namine would hear me, "But I guess you love Riku even more…"

---

Roxas could feel it. There was a pain building up inside of him. He fell to his knees clutching the area of his chest where his heart should have been. Since his heart was Sora's, Roxas no longer had a physical body to hold a heart of his own.

He gasped, releasing his hand from his chest. This couldn't be real. Was the small darkness of Sora's heart starting to play tricks upon him? Real or not, Roxas placed his hand upon his chest once more. There was no mistaking it. He knew this sound very well.

It was the sound of his heart.

_Prologue End_

---

Author's Note: Were the paragraphs too short? They seemed longer when I was writing them on paper… I didn't want to make them too long. When paragraphs are too long, I tend to lose my place far too easily. Also, since this is my experimental fic, the structure of each chapter will start out with the first person P.O.V. of a character, then it may or may not switch back and forth between first and third person.

Seeing as this is only a prologue, I don't really expect many reviews, but for the one's that do review, please tell me if there are any words missing in any sentence. That is the only issue I have ever had with stories in general. I swear that I have used spell check. I have it in automatic. So thank you kindly for reading the prologue. Chapter one won't be up for awhile due to the busyness of my schedule.

Also, to my dearest friend, El Takeshiro: I will not be able to post 'Kairi Doesn't Know' as soon as I thought I would. I need to figure out the plot lining of the story and of course I need your ideas for it as well. Anyway, till next chapter!


	2. Listen to Your Heart

Okay, sorry for the wait. I got a small writer's block right after the first part of this chapter and during some other parts. But, I've made some last minute story structure changes. Turns out that most of the chapters will end in Kairi's P.O.V. She's also gonna be the main character throughout the entire thing. Heh.

Also, if a chapter is named after a song, that is the song it is loosely based upon. Otherwise, it's based after various songs. This chapter's song is sung by D.H.T. The lyrics will become available on my Live Journal soon after each chapter is posted. Like I said, I haven't written a proper fanfiction in awhile and I'm REALLY rusty.

So please bear with me. I should kick into full gear by the next chapter…

Thanks to: Kuko, DaggerForFate and Angel of Black Souls for reviewing the Prologue! Anyway, I need to stop leaving such long author notes… On with the story!

**_Disclaimer:_** I don't own Kingdom Hearts 2. SquareEnix does.

---

Truly, Madly, Deeply:

Chapter 1 - Listen to Your Heart

"_A scattered dream that's like a far-off memory…"_

"_A far-off memory that's like a scattered dream…"_

"_I want to line the pieces up…"_

"_Yours and Mine…"_

_Sora_

---

As soon as I fell into sleep, my dreamscape took the form of a white, square-shaped room. In front of me, stood Roxas. I got up to greet him, but I immediately stopped when I saw the expression on his face. He wasn't facing me like he had done for the past few weeks.

"What's wrong?" Roxas didn't look up, but he attempted to answer.

"Sora… Is it possible for a Nobody to… Have a heart of their own?"

I didn't expect this. Not at all.

"I… I don't know. Why are you asking me?" Roxas slowly lifted his head. He took one hesitating step after another. He abruptly grabbed my wrist and placed the palm of my hand against his chest. My eyes widened. Roxas weakly spoke.

"Sora… Tell me what this is…" How could this be? None of it made any sense. This couldn't be an illusion, but the darkness couldn't play a trick like this. The thumping feeling underneath my palm wasn't a mere illusion or trick.

"Roxas… You have a -"

I never got to finish my sentence. Before I could, my vision faded to white and I found myself in my room. I turned my head towards my alarm clock. It was 4:00. I couldn't go back to sleep now. I couldn't face Roxas. How could it be that Roxas had been given a heart?

---

I was the first to hear the doorbell ring. I opened the door and came face to face with Riku. For some reason, I started to tense up a bit. I reasoned it to be out of surprise. He greeted me with a smile. Every time he gave me that smile, I'd feel my heart beat faster and faster. It had been this way for the past two years and half of me didn't want to know why.

Riku tilted his head slightly, "You answered on the first ring? That's amazing! Usually I have to wait here for 20 minutes just ringing your doorbell until I hear you fall down the stairs."

"Thanks for the compliment Riku…" I answered back sarcastically. Riku just smiled again. My heart had learned to love that smile. Riku decided to change the subject.

"When is your mom coming to visit again?"

"Yesterday?" I scratched the back of my head nervously. I moved out of my house into the main island a year after the final battle with Xemnas. Once a year after that, my mom would come to visit for a weekend.

"Sora!" My mother's voice called out to me. I quickly covered Riku's mouth with my both of my hands. He was obviously confused, but I decided to explain everything later.

"Mom! I'm going to breakfast with Riku and Kairi! I'll see you later!" I grabbed Riku's wrist and attempted to lead him as far from my house as possible.

"But Sora - !" My mother's voice was immediately cut off as I shut the front door closed.

---

Riku and I ended up on the sidewalk nearby the coffee shop. The both of us were out of breath. I had collapsed onto the cement floor and Riku leaned against the wall.

"What… Was that… About?" Riku's body slowly slid down the wall going into a sitting position. I pushed myself up to my knees. I laughed nervously, "Well the thing is, my mom wouldn't stop asking about you or Kairi. She had some 'special activity' for you and Kairi to do today. And I don't think you'd want to spend the entire day baking cookies you couldn't eat right?"

This time, Riku laughed. After a taking in a few deep breaths, he stood to his feet, "I don't think I was in the mood to bake anything. Come on," Riku offered his hand to me, "Let's go."

I smiled and took his hand. Riku pulled me up and we continued to walk down the sidewalk. After a few minutes of silence, Riku decided to start up some conversation.

"How are you and Kairi doing?"

"Well…" I stopped walking and crossed my arms, "Ever since I told her about Roxas, she's been a little quiet lately…"

"Really?" Riku turned towards me, "Quiet in what way?"

"Whenever I mention anything about Roxas, she turns away from me and tells me she has to go somewhere or meet someone…"

Riku looked into a nearby cherry blossom tree, "Has Roxas figured out why he can't hear Namine?"

"Not yet… Actually, last night he - " I suddenly felt a shock quickly run through my body. I felt my body fall forward as I slowly lost consciousness. I felt Riku's arms catch me.

"Sora!" I heard Riku call me.

The last thing I remembered was seeing Roxas. A light shined in front of him and he took one last look at me before fading into it.

---

Kairi was looking at the ocean. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't help but replay the conversation she had with Namine the night before.

---

"Namine? What do you mean you can hear your heart beating?" Kairi could believe the words she heard. How could she? Namine's heart beat inside her own chest.

Namine opened her eyes slowly, "Something's happening Kairi. By tomorrow, I may no longer be a part of you."

"No! I can't let you fade into darkness! Sora and I promised to be together everyday so that you and Roxas could be together!" Kairi fell on her hands and knees, pounding the ground with her fists.

"I won't fade into darkness Kairi… I'll be enveloped in light…" The once black surroundings of Kairi's dreamscape started to turn white. When everything was covered in white, Kairi awoke.

---

_'Namine…'_ Kairi fell to her knees, her face in her hands, "Please don't go. Don't leave me like this. I can't deal with this alone…" Kairi thought to herself. If Namine left her like this, she was sure she would break.

"Kairi?" A familiar voice called to her. Kairi turned to see the brown haired Selphie standing above her. She had a concerned look on her face. Kairi was relieved. Although she knew Selphie would bombard her with endless questions, Kairi didn't mind. Selphie would provide her with some company. This way, she knew she would prolong being alone.

"What's wrong?" Kairi shook her head, "It's nothing… I was just thinking about a friend of mine…"

Selphie just felt even more confused, "Is it Sora or Riku?"

Kairi shook her head again, "No… It's someone else…"

Selphie knew all of Kairi's friends on Destiny Islands. Which friend could she possibly be talking about? Riku was in perfect health, he didn't seem to be the one she worried about. Sora was fine as well. Or maybe, it was something about Kairi's relationship with him? Kairi had been a little touchy whenever she asked anything about the two. Before Selphie could say more, Kairi stood to her feet and turned to her.

"Why don't we go have some lunch again?" Selphie grinned from ear to ear, completely forgetting about Kairi's problems. Soon enough, a sharp pain pieced through Kairi's head. She fell backwards into the water. Before hitting the water itself, she felt herself slip into unconsciousness.

---

Kairi was in her dreamscape once again. This time, her surroundings were a lilac purple. She was lying on her side and found that her body was paralyzed. Kairi opened her eyes and saw that Namine was also in the same position facing her. Kairi also realized that she held Namine's hand.

"Kairi…" Namine sounded weak, "Tell Roxas that I'm sorry for not being able to tell him goodbye…"

Soon, bright light started to engulf Namine. Before it did, she let out two last words, "Thank you."

With that, Kairi's vision went black.

---

The always setting sun of Twilight Town illuminated the streets. For Hayner, Pence and Olette, it seemed like just another day. The trio had been trying to make the best of their summer, but they couldn't help but feel like something was missing. Everywhere they went, memories they didn't know that they had forgotten, played within their minds. In each one, they would all see the same blonde haired, faceless boy.

"I don't get it! It's driving me crazy!" Hayner was pretty angry at the fact that he just forgot about someone who held such close memories.

"How could we just… Forget?" Pence was pretty upset as well. Instead of screaming at himself like Hayner was, Pence was actually trying to figure it out calmly.

Olette tried to reassure the two, "Come on guys… Don't worry yourselves so much!" She pulled both boys into half hugs, "We'll figure it out eventually."

The two boys nodded. Olette suggested that they go to The Usual Spot to clear their heads. From the Sandlot, they raced up the stairs. Hayner was in front, Olette in second and Pence trailing behind. As Hayner reached the top, he froze. Olette put her hands on her knees and tried to catch her breath. She looked up at Hayner.

"What's wrong Hayner? You look like you've just seen a gho - " Olette froze in place, her words lingering in the air. Pence reached the top and discovered what had frozen the two in place. A small portal into the darkness had appeared before them. This portal was different. In the middle of the portal was a girl sitting on the ground. She seemed to be unconscious and her body was completely bound by chains that seemed to disappear into the portal. Her arms were bound above her, and a large, black lock hung around her neck. For some reason, the girl seemed completely separated from the darkness behind her.

"Guys," Hayner started to back away, "We need to get Sora here…"

Olette grabbed Hayner's arm, "We can't just leave her like this! What happens if someone else sees her!"

Pence faced the two of them, "What could we do Olette? I don't even think we could help her if we tried!"

"Ah…" A vague sound escaped the girl's mouth. The trio's attention went towards the girl. Her head slightly shifted and she said a name, "Rox… As…"

A sudden rush of memories went through their minds. Memories that they had seen throughout their summer vacation. This time the blonde boy's face was clear to them. From the time the photos had been stolen, to the time the boy had beaten Seifer in the Sandlot, to the time the four of them sat on top of the train station's tower. It all came flooding into them like a tidal wave. Soon enough, they were brought to a scene they had never seen before.

---

The three found the boy in front of them. He was looking out of a balcony. The three of them seemed to be looking through someone else's eyes.

"Roxas?"

A feminine voice spoke out to the boy. The boy's gaze shifted from the balcony towards the voice, "What is it, Namine?"

"If you were given the chance to see anyone within the realm of light, just one more time, who would they be?"

Roxas looked out of the balcony once again, "Hayner, Pence and Olette of course…"

"Why them? The Hayner, Pence and Olette you knew were never real… Even if you could see them again, you wouldn't even be a wisp in their mind…" The one they assumed to be Namine, asked him.

Roxas closed his eyes and smiled, "Even so… They're the ones who made me feel as though I truly existed… Like I had a heart to begin with… So even if I'm just nothing to them now, it's okay, because they my memories and emotions are good enough. And after all, we were never meant to exist anyway, right?"

They felt a smile form on Namine's lips, "What about Axel? He was your best friend… Wasn't he?"

Roxas laughed, "Of course he was… But you said the realm of light. Not the darkness. Axel is gone. I don't know if I'll ever see him again. I've missed him though. I just hope that one day, I could catch just a glimpse of him…"

"Roxas…"

---

Hayner, Pence and Olette found themselves back in Twilight Town. The girl in front of them was still bound in chains.

"His name is Roxas…" Hayner was in shock of what had just happened. Roxas was no longer an unknown face in their minds. Olette opened her hand to find part of a key. The handle to be precise. Pence found the middle part of a key in his hand, and Hayner found the teeth of the key itself. The three seemed to come to a silent agreement and put the parts of the key together. When they did, Hayner was the one to take it. He walked up to the girl and, without hesitation, placed the key into the lock.

With a loud click, the chains, the portal and the lock itself, disappeared. The girl started to fall, but Hayner caught her just before she did. Olette and Pence ran over and took a look at the girl. Without the chains covering her, they were able to see her appearance more clearly. She had light, flawless skin and long blonde hair that curled as it came over her shoulder. She also wore a white dress that seemed to be far too small on her. Her legs were far too long, her hips too wide and her chest too big.

"She's - " Pence started, but Hayner cut him off and finished his sentence, " – Really hot…" Olette smacked both Hayner and Pence on the back of their heads.

"OW!" The two boys yelled in unison, "What was that for!"

"I can't believe you two! We've just saved a girl from being swallowed up by darkness and the first thing you two do is gawk at her chest?" Olette's outburst surprised the boys, but at the same time, lifted the heavy air a bit. The girl's body started to shift in Hayner's arms. He looked down at her just as her eyes struggled to open. Her eyes were beautiful and entrancing. They were the color of the sea and the sky. When she squinted, her eyes were like that of a feline's. As her vision started to become clearer, she saw Hayner, Pence and Olette and recognized them immediately.

"Hayner, Pence, Olette…" The trio gasped, and the girl continued talking, "You're his friends right? I wish… I could bring him here to see you all… He'd be so happy…"

The girl started to slip into unconsciousness again. Hayner shook her in an attempt to keep her from going back into unconsciousness, "Hey! You can't just go back to sleep! How do you know us? Who are you talking about!"

The girl's eyes were just barely open, "Roxas… He told me…"

Hayner soon found that it was no use trying to keep her awake, for he soon saw her eyes close, "At least tell us your name!"

"My name…? It's Namine…"

---

Rain had decided to fall upon Radiant Garden that day. Tifa placed her forehead upon the cold, glass window of her hotel room. She didn't want to stay with Aerith and the others. The place was crowded enough already. All she could think about was Cloud. For more than five years she had been searching for him. She had found him once, and as fast as she did, he disappeared even faster. Every time she thought of him, all she could feel was loneliness. She had loved him for so long… Did he feel anything for her at all?

Tifa sighed. She had been sitting in the same position for such an extended period of time. The room was dark and the transparent color of the rain reflected against the walls. She was tired of waiting. Tired of sulking. Tired of thinking. Tired feeling this way. Tired of being cooped up in room by herself.

_'What am I doing? I shouldn't be doing this. I… Need to go take a walk.' _Tifa grabbed her jacket from the coat hanger and made her way downstairs. At the front desk she paid the lady at the front desk for an umbrella. Tifa looked at the umbrella. It was a very unusual kind. The umbrella was completely see-through. The white tip and handle were the only exception. She thanked the woman and went on her way. Once outside, she watched as the raindrops dropped on her umbrella. She smiled, enjoying the how tranquil it was underneath the rain with this plastic umbrella of hers.

For awhile, she walked aimlessly until she reached the stairs that led to the Bailey. Something was tugging at her, telling her to go. She decided to go with this feeling. Her steps were at first hesitant, but as she drew herself closer and closer, she felt herself running. She didn't understand why, but there was a presence there. It was unfamiliar, but very, very strong. When reached the entrance of the Bailey, she spotted a Dusk slithering its way down towards the Castle Gates. She waited a moment then jumped down.

She had forgotten that she held an umbrella and while in midair, she quickly closed the umbrella and landed; almost poking her eye out in the process. Tifa followed the Dusk and found that it had been looking for an Organization 13 member.

_'What! I thought Sora defeated all the members of the Organization! How is it possible?'_ The Organization member's back was facing her, so she watched as the figure let the Dusk circle around them. The figure soon held up a hand and as the Dusk passed by, a circle of fire appeared underneath it. Almost immediately, a flame wall engulfed the Dusk, and within seconds, both it and the flames were gone.

_'That… Was amazing! The flames can withstand the rain? W-wait, what am I saying! This thing could be dangerous and I'm just sitting here being impressed!' _Tifa lightly whacked her forehead with her umbrella. She failed to realize that the Organization member had discovered her hiding spot.

"Y'know," A male voice came from the unknown figure, "When you're trying to hide from someone, I wouldn't suggest going behind a rock and making noise by hitting myself with an umbrella…"

He removed his hood, revealing his spiked, fiery-red hair. His back was still facing her. Tifa couldn't trust this guy. She saw this as her chance to knock him out and bring him to the others. They'd be able to figure out everything. Well, after calling Sora anyway. As he turned around, Tifa ran right in front of him and started throwing an endless barrage of kicks and punches at him.

He was caught off guard, but his reactions were faster than her attacks. He summoned up his chakrams and with them, blocked all of her attacks. Eventually, on one of her kicks, she pushed too much weight on his weapons and he easily pushed her into the air. Hard. She landed on her feet but the sliding momentum caused her to fall forward on her stomach.

Her opponent jumped back and out stretched his arms. His weapons started to spin rapidly in the air. Fire started to form the faster they spun. For some reason, Tifa couldn't get up. She realized her foot was caught underneath a couple of rocks. Although Tifa couldn't tell, his eyes narrowed as he realized she was stuck there. With a yell, he threw his chakrams forward. Tifa shut her eyes, preparing for the intense heat.

She was surprised when she merely felt a light warmth around her cheeks. Tifa heard the death cries of two Heartless as she saw them fall to the ground. They disappeared and she found him standing over her. His emerald green eyes stared at her as he crouched down to her. He smirked, "You're not so tough now, huh?"

Tifa slammed the side of her fist into the ground, letting out a scream at the same time. The rain quickly filled the small hole she had just made. Why had this Nobody saved her? He could have just let the Heartless take her and he wouldn't need to be troubled by her again. He continued to gaze upon her. She seemed…

"Do you pity me!" She shouted loudly, thinking no one would hear her. He stayed in place, with a look of shock on his face, "Is that why you didn't finish me off!"

He could feel that she pitied herself and thought he did too. Something about this girl was… Different. He had traveled to many worlds and he had yet to meet someone like this girl, "What are you…"

He didn't have time to deal with this. He could feel Namine and Roxas. They were no longer within Sora and Kairi. He needed to find them and know if the same thing had happened to them. He decided to at least help this girl release her leg. Tifa felt him grab her shoulders and pull her up, "What are you doing - "

When she found her balance on her free foot, he kicked the rocks releasing her other foot. She was free to move both her feet again. She shivered and she felt a chill run up and down her spine. She had almost forgotten that it was raining. She had also forgotten that the cold wasn't very kind to her. She sneezed.

He started to unzip his black uniform and draped it over her head. It would serve as a temporary guard from the rain. He had completely incinerated her umbrella, so he owed her at least that much. He turned his back to her, "You'd better get home. Otherwise you'll get sick and blame it on me…"

A portal to the darkness opened a few feet in front of him. He walked toward it but Tifa tried to stop him by asking more questions, "Wait! Where are you going! At least tell me your name!"

He turned his head to the side, "Axel."

Before heading through the portal, Axel mentioned one last sentence, "If you're not careful, that darkness you're trying to protect will take you in. Make sure you don't end up pitying yourself…"

And with that, the Flurry of Dancing Flames disappeared through the portal.

---

"Kairi!" I heard Riku's voice echo inside my head. I could see nothing but endless darkness. Where was Namine? Now was when I needed her more than ever… Why did she have to suddenly leave now? I fell to my knees or that's what it felt like anyway. I hugged myself. For some reason I felt cold. I guess that's what happens when insecurity and loneliness get the best of you.

I didn't want to wake up. I wanted to be selfish and hide in this darkness. What was there to look forward to if I did wake up? Namine was gone. I had failed to help her and now, she was lost to the darkness forever. How could I let it happen? And Sora… His heart was no longer mine… I knew it deep inside. For a long time it haunted me. Namine was the one to get me through it. As long as she still loved Roxas, I would see Sora.

"Kairi! Wake up!" Was that… Sora? I felt warmth fill my entire body and I opened my eyes to find myself in Sora's arms. His lips were against mine and I realized what my body felt. He broke away and smiled at me. It the smile that I wanted. I found myself lying on a hospital bed and Riku standing beside it.

"Finally," Riku said with relief, "I thought you'd never wake up…"

"All she needed was a kiss," Sora gave me an intense gaze. Why did Sora have to be like this? Why was it, that his every action made me love him more and more? Soon enough, my thoughts were interrupted when a nurse came in. She took one at Sora and me and gasped, "Oh! I'm sorry! Was I interrupting something?"

"No, it's alright!" I answered immediately, "What did you want to say?"

"There is boy who Wakka and Tidus found unconscious on the beach. He's just woken up and he won't come out of his room," The nurse seemed a bit hesitant.

"He says that he'll only talk to Sora, Riku and you. He… Has the same eyes as you do Sora…"

Riku and Sora froze. It couldn't be… I looked to floor and with a shaky voice I asked her, "What's his name?"

"He said… His name was Roxas." She didn't have to say anything else.

"Take us to him."

---

When the nurse opened the door, a loud crash was heard inside the room. The three of us followed the nurse in, and we saw Roxas crouched over the remains of what seemed to be a chair. He seemed to be much older than the last time we had seen each other. He slowly stood up. Without looking, he clenched his fists and started to scream at the nurse, "I told you to get away from me!"

Sora quickly ran over and took a hold of Roxas's shoulders, "Roxas! It's me, Sora!"

He looked up as a stray tear fell down his cheek, "Sora… I can't… Hear her anymore… Where is she? What is this? Why do I feel like this!"

It pained me to watch Roxas like this. He had always been such a strong willed Nobody. I walked to him and motioned for Roxas to face me. He looked straight into my eyes. They were watery and tears fell down his cheeks uncontrollably, "Kairi…"

His voice sounded raspy and weak as he struggled to speak in-between gasps and hiccups, "Where is Namine?"

I cupped his cheek with my hand, wiping a tear with my thumb, "I don't know…"

Roxas fell to his knees and I followed. He clenched his teeth this time, and he let out a pained yell. I pulled him into my embrace and his scream was muffled against my clothes. As I held him close to me, I wanted to cry myself. He clutched the skin on my back tightly but I could barely feel the pain. I soon noticed that I could feel the beating of a heart inside his chest. I knew that what he felt now was real, and that he felt such so much more than what he ever thought he felt as a Nobody. I whispered to him desperately trying to comfort him.

"Roxas… I'm sorry…"

---

Sora, Riku, Roxas and I sat at a table inside a restaurant we had found nearby the hospital. Roxas had calmed down and was now drinking a soda. As concerned as we had been for him, we wanted to know something. Why was he sitting in front of us like this and how did he gain a heart?

"I don't know actually," Roxas stared into his glass, "I just woke up to find myself on the beach, then I fell asleep again. The next thing I know, I'm in the hospital. Sorry for what happened there." Roxas grinned nervously.

"It's okay Roxas," I answered him, "But how… How is it that you seem so much older? I thought Nobodies didn't truly age."

"I guess it's because I had been living inside Sora. As he aged I guess I did too. But inside his mind, I guess I didn't appear to be that much older than I was five years ago…" Roxas slumped back into his chair.

"Let's go," Riku stood up, "We should clear our heads a bit before we go any farther."

The three of us nodded. We gathered whatever belongings we had brought with us and exited the restaurant. As we started to walk down the sidewalk, someone bumped into Roxas nearly causing him to fall over. Sora ran over to keep Roxas from falling but someone had beaten him to it. Sora froze as soon as he recognized the person. A guy with flaming red hair had grabbed a hold of Roxas's arm.

Roxas looked to him, "Axel!"

He smirked, "Long time no see, Roxas."

"How - " Axel cut him off, "I'll tell you everything later. Right now, I think there's someone else you should be worrying about…" Axel looked across the street and the four of us followed. Our attention went toward a girl wearing nothing but white. Upon her head was a wide-brimmed hat that covered her face. When she turned to face us, her hat had blown away, revealing to us, her face.

It was unmistakable, although the girl had seemed to be completely different, we could tell by her eyes. She and Roxas locked glances and didn't look away once. Roxas called out to her as he ran, "Namine!"

"Roxas!"

The two ran into the empty street and when they reached each other, Roxas grabbed Namine by her waist and spun her in the air. He put her down and pulled her into his embrace, "I can't believe you're here…"

"I guess I never had to tell you goodbye…" We watched the reunion between the two as onlookers watched along with us. Roxas and Namine looked into each others eyes, not caring who was watching. Roxas took her hand in his and kissed it.

"In the moments that I couldn't hear your voice and the time I spent away from you, I wanted nothing more than to hold you in my arms like this…" Roxas returned his gaze to her. Axel smiled and started to walk into the alley. Sora caught him as he did, "Axel? Where are you going?"

I looked towards Axel as he answered, "I've found my best friend again… But there's something else that's missing. And for some reason, I still have the powers of darkness, although I can feel a heart beating inside me. I'll be back though. Trust me."

Sora gave him an assuring nod, and with that Axel disappeared into the darkness. I turned my attention to Namine and Roxas once more. Namine ran her fingers through his hair, "For so long, I had to go without your voice…"

Roxas traced her lips with his finger, "Now, we have nothing to keep us back. We can do whatever we wish. And we can be together no matter what…"

Namine then pulled Roxas into a kiss. The onlookers cheered but Roxas and Namine were unfazed by them as they got lost in each other. Riku and Sora smiled happily at the sight, I also smiled, but unlike them it wasn't for Namine and Roxas completely. I realized now, that as Roxas and Namine stood before me, I was jealous of Namine. The one she loved was in her arms and their love was something I had had once before.

I let out a breath of air that I didn't know I had been holding. Eventually I'd have to face it. Sora's love was slowly slipping away from me. I remembered when Sora would do whatever it took to make sure I loved him back.

I just wanted this feeling of emptiness to disappear.

_Chapter 1: Listen to Your Heart – End_

_---_

_Author's Note: _Hah! Finally finished! This chapter was pretty long for me. Please excuse the awkward dialogue. I actually had to re-write that Hollow Bastion/Radiant Garden scene three times and the dialogue still felt weird. Like I said, I'm still really rusty and I promise to make the next chapter worth your while. The chapters will be pretty long like this, but the next chapter will be A LOT better. (With more detail!)

Also excuse any OOC-ness. But then again, I guess that in any fanfiction OOC-ness is a bit normal. I'm also wondering, do you guys prefer the first person or third person more? Your opinions won't completely change the story, I'm just wondering for future reference. And yes, sorry to the AxelXRoxas fans. This will be NamineXRoxas pairing throughout the story. I haven't seen many NamineXRoxas fics. Roxas is always paired with Axel and Namine with Riku.

Don't get me wrong, I like most uncommon and shounen-ai couples, but everyone seems to completely dismiss the fact that Riku did once like Kairi, (Even though that pairing bothers me to no extent…) and that even though it IS implied that Axel may like Roxas, it seems like a lot of people completely dismiss Namine. And I do like Namine. Eh, I'm taking up too much space.

I'll make it up to the AkuRoku fans in my next fic and I may have a small surprise for you in a certain chapter. Also, to Angel of Black Souls, the shounen-ai thing won't go too far. Anyway, the next chapter probably won't be up for a long while. I start school in about a week, so yeah. I really need to learn how to shorten my author's notes. I feel like I'm forgetting something, but I leave it for next chapter. Until then, here's a rough preview to keep you guys occupied.

_In Chapter 2 – A Walk to Remember / Close_

_-While everyone celebrates Namine and Roxas being reunited, Riku reminisces the day two years ago when Sora and Kairi had broken up for a week. No one knew about it but him. The only reason he knew though, was because they both came to him. He also tries to sort through his feelings toward Sora and Kairi._

_-While searching for answers, Axel finds that he can't keep away from a certain brown haired girl. Instead of searching, he decides to get to know her as he feels the loneliness build in her._

_-Kairi remembers what she did two years ago and guilt starts to consume her. Namine also seems to be aware of what she did._


	3. Author's Note PLEASE READ

Okay. This is not a chapter, I know. This is just a very important author's note.

This story was main focus of mine for awhile. Unfortunately, this story will be put on hold for awhile. My aunt recently died, and since this song (Truly, Madly, Deeply) greatly reminds me of her, I can't go on writing this story for awhile. I may get in trouble with fanfiction for writing this as a chapter, but as of now, I don't really care.

As the circumstances go, I cannot continue writing this anytime soon. I will post chapter 2 if I finish the last paragraphs. Right now, that probably means in four weeks or somewhere in November. I apologize to the few who have started to read this story. I appreciate my reviewers as well. Thank you for taking the time to read this.

I hope to write this story again soon. Thank you.

-Noodle/Sunsetseve


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